Feline Forum
Cat Welfare Association Newsletter February/March 2015
Jamie Hicks Joins CWA as
Shelter Operations Manager
As a kid, Jamie Hicks ran an animal rescue out of her parents’
Akron garage. That early experience led her to a lifetime of
work with animals, up to her newest position as Cat Welfare
Association’s Shelter Operations Manager.
“After high school, I went to Walsh University to major in
secondary education,” Jamie says. “But I realized that teaching
was not my calling. I really wanted to be a voice for animals in
need.”
She became aware of our mission in 2008, while working as
Assistant to the Medical Director at Shelter Outreach Services
(SOS), then worked in Akron as a Dog Warden in Summit
County. Jamie is enthusiastic about her new role as our Shelter
Operations Manager and working with our dedicated staff.
Cat care, shelter life enrichment and increasing adoptions are
topics she has identified as initial areas of interest.
She currently shares her home with four dogs: Mastiff mix,
Morgan; Great Dane, Hooch; Weimaraner, Z; and French Bull
Dog mix, Gremlin. Three cats round out the family: Stinky,
Penelope, and permanent CWA shelter resident Squirrel, who
Jamie is fostering.
In her spare time, Jamie is an avid athlete who enjoys running, pick-up basketball and sand volleyball.
She’s a big fan of North Carolina Tar Heels basketball and the Chicago Bulls.
CWA Halfway to Cat Condo Fund Goal
Because of your generosity,
Cat Welfare has been able to
purchase two more condos
for our Main Adoption room.
As of December 31, we have
been gifted nearly half of our
$68,000 goal! Will you join
in to help us reach our target
of replacing every cage in the
shelter with a cozy condo?
We are grateful to our recent donors: Marie Evans,
Karen Lemley, Mary & David
Pohli, Victoria Saunders, The Nationwide Foundation, Muriel Parish, Carolyn Sommerich, Sharon Rhymaun-Croyle, Paige Harmon
Maston, Edgar Erlanger, Thomas Stockdale, Tamara Wade, Leigh
Freter, Clarence Schimmel Jr., Jane Carolyn Reeves, David & Beth
Gervers, Karen Pedersen, Michelle Buyer, Betty Goodyear, Richard
Murphey, V. Ann Hailey, Judy Hicks, Janet Moffat, Judith Vertikoff,
Linda Schellkopf, Susan Posey, Byers Auto, Rev. Garrard A. Haubrich, Peggy Kirk, Joan Shkolnik, Susanne Canale, Elizabeth Langford, Richard & Lynne McWherter, Deb Wood, Ruth Ann Branoff,
William Studer, RoseAnn Ballangee, Judy Malenick, Jerry Holt, Tim
Greene, Karen Baird, Christina Nawrocki, Jill Auxer, Sarah Luckay, Martha Montgomery, Lois Schultz, Irene Rousos, William Hout,
Nancy Flanagan, Nancy Preston, Anita Knoechel, Paula Orban,
Sherry Mullett, Karlene Weyl, Ryan Briggs, Olwen Firestone, Peter Johnson, Carole Miller, Jennifer Schleppi, Baillie Siegenthaler,
Doris Fuller, Jane Matson, Kristina Ward, Deja Franklin, Matthew
Thompson, Ashley Bowerman and Stephanie Fitos.
Our Mission
Cat Welfare Association is dedicated
to the care of and education about cats
and kittens. Our pledge is to cherish,
nurture and provide veterinary care
for homeless, abused, injured and
abandoned felines. We strive to find
each cat an appropriate, safe and loving home, allowing those not placed to
live their lives in the care and comfort
of our shelter.
741 Wetmore Road
Columbus, OH 43214
614-268-6096
www.catwelfareohio.com
facebook.com/catwelfareohio
Hours
11 a.m.- 3:30 p.m.
Monday, Thursday, Friday,
Saturday & Sunday
11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Tuesday & Wednesday
(Closed the first Thursday of each
month and all major holidays)
The adoption fee of $40 ($30 for
seniors) includes spay/neuter surgery, initial vaccinations, testing for
feline leukemia and FIV, microchip
identification, flea treatment & deworming.
Board of Directors
RoseAnn Ballangee, President
Brenda Martin, Vice President
Steve Hebenstreit, Recording Secretary
Cathi Eisley, Treasurer
Sue Godsey • Peggy Kirk
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Bring Your Valentine to ‘For the Love of Our Cats’
Please join us Saturday, February 14 for this very special Valentine’s
Day celebration. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Spend time
sharing your love with our residents, take advantage of special $14
adoption rates, enjoy refreshments and shop for unique gifts to say,
“I love you.”
Along with our catnip pillow toys, T-shirts and 2015 calendars, gift
certificates will be available for CWA memberships, Adopt-a–Cage,
Guardian Angel sponsorships and The Catique.
Clintonville author Wolfgang Parker will join us from 1 to 3 p.m.
Parker’s two novels for children ages 8 to 12 have been enthusiastically
embraced by adult readers, too. The novels feature actual Clintonville
felines and their human friend, Jonas, who has the ability to communicate
with cats.
Join the Team at The Catique, A Resale Shop
After a spectacular first year in our new home,
we are looking to build our resale shop team.
The need for team members is especially critical for Thursdays and Fridays.
If you can assist with accepting and sorting donations, tagging and pricing clothes,
creating displays, general cleaning or if you
want to help with sales, please reach out to
Meridith Kiyosue, Volunteer Coordinator, at [email protected] or 614-2686096, Ext. 106.
Sign Up for Email Delivery
The Feline Forum brings all the best Cat Welfare
news right to your door, but did you know you can
receive our newsletter via email? Each new digital
subscription saves the shelter $0.62, which equals
the cost of two 5.5 ounce cans of moist cat food. Six
new digital newsletter subscriptions equal the cost
of one 25 pound bag of cat litter—not to mention
saving trees, ink and gasoline from printing and delivery.
To sign up for our digital newsletter, send an
email with your name, email address and current
mailing address to [email protected].
Finney to Speak at Meeting
Rachel Finney, Executive Director at Capital
Area Humane Society, will be joining us for
our February Board of Directors meeting. We
encourage our members to attend the February 17 meeting to learn about Capital Area’s
new program for homing Central Ohio’s stray
cat population.
Cat Welfare’s Board of Directors meetings
are held the third Tuesday of each month at
7 p.m. in the conference room of Villa Angela
Care Center, 5700 Karl Road, Columbus, OH
43229.
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CWA Happy Homes
On January 5, 2014, the
Smith family adopted
William. He is such a
sweetheart and a major
lap cat. He has found
his favorite spot in the
house to stare out the
window and watch all
the squirrels. He’s been
a wonderful addition to
the family, and we love
him very much.
I wanted to say
thank you again from the bottom of my heart for keeping him until
we found him. He’s such a joy and has helped fill the void I felt with
the loss of my cat, Tom, of 14 years. Thank you for all the work you
do, and thank you for taking such great care of the kitties.
Megan Smith
We adopted kitten littermates
Milo and Luna (then called
Ted and Rhoda) in July 2013.
They are such good cats. I wanted to send a picture of them so
you can see how they have grown
and how well they are loved.
Daniel & Elizabeth LaBozetta
Just wanted to give you all an update
on Yoshi! We adopted him in September 2013, and he adjusted right
away! He was previously adopted
but was returned the day we arrived
at Cat Welfare because the people
who adopted him said he didn’t get
along with their cats. Who couldn’t
get along with something this cute?!
We kept his name, but as we’ve gotten to know him, we should have
named him Dennis (the Menace) because he’s so ornery.
Thank you, Cat Welfare, for such a wonderful, playful, crazy,
lovable kitty!
Pat and Nicole
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Artemus Gordon has been such a
wonderful addition to our little family! When I first brought him home,
the poor thing was so terrified. It took
awhile, but after graduating from his
safe room, he became his curious, rambunctious self. Just like at the adoption
center, he LOVES being up high and
checking out the scene. Give him a big
couch or a windowsill, and he can sit
for hours! He loves playing with string,
ball toys and water bottles (go figure!).
His big sister Peppermint Patty has
gone through a few different surgeries
to fix her health issues, and he is very
sweet with her. After a recent trip to the
vet, she came home for a nap, and he
didn’t leave her side. I like to think he
was “keeping watch” so she could relax.
They’re a great pair!
Spencer Jordan
Got a Happy Homes story?
Upload it on the Adopt tab at
catwelfareohio.org or mail it to
Cat Welfare, 741 Wetmore Road,
Columbus, OH 43214.
Apply to Serve on CWA Board
Do you have skills in organizational management,
finance, fundraising, marketing, computer programming or other areas? Consider being a Board member of Cat Welfare. Board members are required to
attend scheduled meetings, work on committees,
raise funds and be ambassadors for the organization.
Prospective Board members must be Active
Members or Life Members for at least two (2) years,
with evidence of ongoing involvement with the Association. Members will be elected to fill Board openings at our meeting on May 19, 2015.
Please download an application, available February 1 at catwelfareohio.org, or contact our office
to have one mailed to you. Completed applications
should be sent to boardresumes@catwelfareohio.
com or mailed to the shelter, Attn: Helen DeSantis, 741 Wetmore Road, Columbus, Ohio 43214. The
deadline for applications is March 13. Information
about each candidate will be posted on Cat Welfare’s website by April 13.
Cat Welfare would
like to thank:
Everyone who gave so generously during the
holiday season. The kitties received a package
from Amazon nearly every day in December!
The Cat Nippers. Cat Welfare sold approximately 825 catnip pillow toys during the month of
December.
Those crafty folks who make blankets for the
shelter residents.
Our corresponding secretaries, RoseAnn Ballangee, Nancy Flanagan and Sue Godsey, for all
of their efforts.
Dr. Danya Linehan to Speak at Members Event
Cat Welfare will host a 90-minute members-only
event on Sunday, March 22, at Mozart’s Café, 4784
N. High St. Please join us at 2:30 p.m. for a symphony of desserts and a discussion on FIV and Feline
Leukemia with Dr. Danya Linehan.
Dr. Linehan has worked in the veterinary field
since 1983 and has been a practicing veterinarian
since 1993. She obtained a B.S. in animal science
from the University of New Hampshire and received her veterinary degree from The Ohio State
University. Dr. Linehan is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Ohio Veterinary Medical Association and the Association of
Veterinary Technician Educators. Dr. Linehan
currently serves as the Ohio Director for The Paw Project. Her other animal-focused waking hours are
spent serving on the Ohio Pet Fund Board and helping provide trap-neuter-release (TNR), food and shelters for local feral colonies. Dr. Linehan spreads the word about animal issues—physical, societal and
behavioral—through radio and webinar appearances and at seminars for the pet-owning public, shelter
staff and volunteers.
This event is free to our members but limited to 45 attendees. You can reserve your spot online
at signupgenius.com, select “Find a Signup” (located above “Create a Signup”) and enter the email
[email protected], or by calling 614-268-6096, Ext. 103.
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Looking Back: Outlining CWA Points of Pride for 2014
It was an exciting and transitional 2014 for Cat
Welfare. These successes were made possible by
the generosity of our donors, commitment of our
members and volunteers, dedication of our staff,
and the leadership of our Board of Directors.
●● Converting steel cages to cat condos improves
cats’ morale and living conditions
●● More than 80 volunteers work on grooming teams – more than 90% of our cats are
groomed or socialized every week (on average)
IN KEEPING WITH OUR MISSION
●● 1100 cats/kittens admitted to the shelter
●● 950 cats/kittens adopted
●● 157 cats posted to Petfinder; approximately
80% of cats posted to Petfinder were adopted.
2014 was the first year we received more than
10,000 views in one month. More than 10,000
views each month September through December; 13,047 views in December
●● Nearly 2,200 community cats altered through
Cat Welfare’s low-cost spay and neuter programs
●● 223 community cats received emergency services paid from the Good Sam Fund
●● Over 20,000 cans of food donated to other
shelters, caretakers of cat colonies and owners
in need of food for their cats
●● Remodel completed in less than a year, freeing
up approximately 400 additional sq. ft. for our
free-roaming cats
●● Space now available for our shy cats (cubbies
to be installed later this month)
●● Kittens have their own room
●● Shelter is open to a limited number of FIV and
FeLV cats/kittens
●● Isolation and Step Down rooms positively
impact cats’ recovery
AROUND THE SHELTER
●● Leaky roof replaced
●● Inside of shelter painted, rusted doors replaced
PERSONNEL
●● Hired on-site vet, operations manager, volunteer coordinator; two animal care technicians
replaced following vacancies
OUTREACH
●● Expanded presence on Facebook — 5,100
likes
●● Launched new website
●● First time Art Show a success
●● The Catique reopened and grew its client
base — began making a profit in less than one
year
MISCELLANEOUS
●● Updated Bylaws
●● Received a donation of 25,000 cans of food
from Friskies
Cat Welfare Association Life Members
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All members of Cat Welfare receive discounted
tickets to events, a subscription to the Feline Forum and eligibility to vote at the annual Board
Member elections. In addition to these core benefits, life membership affirms your long-term commitment to CWA and its mission. A life membership badge signifies your participation in this elite
group of contributors. Supporters can become life
members with a donation of $250. A single payment is preferred; however, installment payments
can be arranged by contacting the shelter.
We would like to thank the following supporters
for becoming life members in 2014: Cynthia Moree,
Art & Janet Lofton, Melissa Wiser, James Demas,
Kathy Ann Poulton, Dustin Clayton, Sharon Sadlowski, Randy Kirschner, Chris Martinez, Don Shaw, Tom
Carr, Brenda & John Finfgeld, Linda Mercer, Margaret McMahon, HelenChamberlin, Thad & Claudia
Plumley, Sue Frost, Christina Hoffman, Brian Hallett Robb, Katherine Waller, Jodie Bokemper, Melissa Wachtel, James Demas, Robin Stearns, W. Bruce
Walsh, Shirley Metro and Susan Sprague.
We Love Our Donors
Ishie Memorial Fund
Altering Fund
●● Bertha Ihnat, “In memory of Bridgett”
●● Diane & Sam van Schoyck, “In memory of Tom,
Ali, Ruby, Amanda, & George”
●● Renee Paquin, “In memory of Hugs, Kissy,
Kahli, Kitty, & Checkers”
●● Joy Pratt, “In memory of Jacob & Ontario”
●● Anna Teichmoeller, “In memory of Scraps”
●● Catherine Zitko, “In memory of Sweet Pea”
●● Ruth Ann Branoff, “In memory of my beloved
felines DJ, Tayo, Shanghai, & Pookie”
●● Sue Lape, “Gordon Wilson”
●● Jennifer Parker, “In loving memory of Calvin
(“Kelvin”)”
●● Heidi Sherer, “In memory of Little Guy”
●● Kenneth Oates, “In memory of Cha Cha”
●● Nicole Papa Odegaard, “In honor of Nancy
Heller”
●● Wanda Rogers, “In memory of Felix, Fang,
Jezabel, and BC, my friends”
●● The Knoechels, “In memory of Figgy – we miss
you very much”
●● Frederick Mann, “In honor of Barbara Mann”
Richard Austin, Cathleen Battiste Presutti, Joanne Schumacher, James & Mary Criswell, Leslie
Bothast, Kristen Sellgren, Joy & Ed Weiler, Eileen
Richardson, Mark Meyers, Richard Wortman,
Judith Johnson, Patricia Pound, Judy Malenick,
Kathleen Pursley, Jonathan Schroeder, Judith
Boyer, Ameer El-Mallawany, Amy Larson, and Jill
& Lyle Schumacher
Kathryn Kim, Lucy Gettman, Ruth Ann Branoff, Peggy Kirk, Roseann Stoehr, Connie Cline, J.G. Kassel,
Judy Pfaltzgraf, Steven Puckett, Shirley Tobias, Claudia Speakman, Peg & Donald Wentz, Janice & Dan
Bailey, Laura Whinery, and Jill & Lyle Schumacher
for long-term care of shelter residents
From January
through December
2014, we adopted
950 cats into
loving homes and
subsidized 2,188 spay
and neuter surgeries
through our various Altering
Fund programs.
to subsidize community low-cost spay/neuter surgeries
Vincent Fund
for emergency care for shelter cats
Linda Schellkopf, James & Mary Criswell, Cindi Hill,
Renee Paquin, Thomas Kreger, Ramona Sietsma,
Mary Alice & Leslie Susi, Marjorie Obrist, Thom &
Anne Marie Saarie, Irina & Boris Pittel, Liz Fisher,
Kathryn Hoffman, Jody Alders, Sarah Fields, Diana Longwell, Terence Odlin, Dorothy Cobbs, Judy
Malenick, Terri Hnidka, Mary Eberlyn, Ronald
Wolf, Judith Boyer, Sherry Mullett, Heidi Sherer “In
loving memory of Emmy from Heidi, Salie & Ray
Angels,” Leon & Patricia Cohan, Jr., Connie Kellar,
Anita Knoechel, Kristi Lekies “In memory of Gingersnap,” Jill & Lyle Schumacher, and Sandra Myers
Willard’s Village Babies Fund
for care of feral cat colonies
Juanita Woods “In memory of all feral cats” and “In
memory of Willard,” Richard Austin, Tina Siswandari,
Anne Riley & Wilma Wabnitz “In memory of our sweet
baby boy, Calvin. 14 years was not long enough,” Wendy Stewart, Cindy Krebs “In memory of Bernard Loudermilk, who saved a stray named Tom,” Laura Davis-Robeson “In memory of Joey Fernandes,” Nancy
Swisher, Beth Puleo, Peggy Kirk, Katie & Robert Hunter, Renee Paquin, Joy & Ed Weiler, Sandra McCutcheon, Janet McMullen, Judith Boyer, Heidi Sherer “In
memory of Mikayla,” Matthew & Elizabeth Swain, and
Jill & Lyle Schumacher
Joey’s Good Sam Fund
for medical care of owned cats
Jeremy Alltop, Joyce DeWitt “In memory of Joey Fernandes our nephew. Rest in peace Joey. We love you!”,
Lisa Justi “In memory of Joey Fernandes who was called
to heaven December 4, 2014. He will love caring for all
those cats who crossed the Rainbow Bridge.”
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Hello, Serena
This is Serena, “take two.” I was featured as an adoptable senior cat in last February’s Feline Forum. To
my dismay, I still find myself without a forever family. I am a wonderful, reserved feline, and I’ve been
patiently waiting for YOU to come in and adopt ME.
I’ve been here in the shelter for more than three and
a half years. I’ve seen so many kitties find a family. I
am healthy, gentle-natured and I get along just fine
sharing space and people with other cats. My adoption
fee for the month of February is $14. I thank you for
your consideration.
Serena is a 10-year-old spayed female that spends
the majority of her time in the main adoption room
of our shelter.
Cat Welfare has nearly 300 cats available for adoption. Find your new feline friend by visiting
catwelfareohio.com or stopping by our shelter. The kitties would be happy to see you!
Purina Cat Chow, Kitten Chow, brown paper
grocery bags, Windex, clean newspapers, clean
towels, clay litter, dryer sheets, bleach, Clorox
wipes, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser pads, laundry
detergent, stainless steel Chore Boy scrubbies,
and Mr. Clean.
Shelter Wish List:
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Incorporated Under Law: As a non-profit, charitable organization
741 Wetmore Road
Columbus, OH 43214
www.catwelfareohio.com
February/March 2015
Feline Forum
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